NASCAR: Harvick’s Celebration Brings Questions Of Cheating

USA Today Sports

On Sunday in Dover defending NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick was dominant. In a race that he needed to win in order to move on in the Chase, Harvick made it clear that he wasn’t heading out of the playoffs early. While Harvick’s performance might have been one for the ages, it’s his post-race celebration that has taken the spotlight.

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Following the race Harvick celebrated with a huge burnout during which he backed the rear of his No. 4 machine into the wall fairly hard. The contact with the wall and the extent of the burnout raised more than a few eyebrows amongst other drivers and crew members in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series who were watching the celebration.

During the celebration on the track the crew chief Dave Rogers for the No. 11 team of Denny Hamlin made reference over the radio to the fact that Harvick drove his car hard into the fence, Hamlin acknowledged and agreed with that sentiment.

"He took the hotrod and just fenced it hard right in front of us (Rogers said over the radio). Drove it straight into the fence. Be awfully hard to tech that one."

In a recent report for the Associated Press, Hamlin commented further on the incident.

"You don’t want to discredit anyone’s win because what he did was really, really impressive. But all the other competitors, whoever doesn’t win each week wants to make sure they’re on a level playing field with whoever did win. Going forward, I would like to see some kind of way of insuring our cars all stay intact for the R&D Center. Because right now, the R&D Center is kind of a moot point if guys tear up their cars.The winner is the only one that’s able to damage his car after the race without it being too obvious."

On Tuesday former NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski spoke during Chase media day about the idea of drivers damaging their cars on purpose in an effort to hide things during post-race inspection. Keselowski alluded to something that NASCAR might not want their drivers making reference to, especially during the playoffs.

"The cars aren’t teched the same way at the track as they can be teched at the R&D Center. It’s been going on for a long time. I’ve definitely blown tires out. I think every driver has done something to do some kind of damage to their car."

If you’re a Jimmie Johnson fan or even a Johnson detractor, you might remember that the No. 48 team dealt with a similar issue a few seasons ago at Daytona. After winning the race Johnson celebrated by driving his car hard through the infield grass. The result was the No. 48 machine getting pretty torn up before it got into victory lane. The following morning the NASCAR world was abuzz about why it appeared that Johnson tore up his equipment on purpose during the celebration.

Much like with the Johnson situation, NASCAR found nothing wrong with the Harvick situation. On Tuesday NASCAR took an extra careful look at some of the rear end components that they took from the No. 4 machine and everything appeared to check out. On Tuesday Harvick was asked about the incident during his media rounds for Chase media day and as you might imagine he wasn’t overly amused.

"I don’t even remember actually hitting the wall. I remember the tires blowing out, but I don’t know if I actually hit the wall. I enjoy celebrating and I’m going to burn the tires off for sure. I guess I knew how to knock my car back into compliance by rubbing it up against the wall."

Below is a look at the end of the race and Harvick’s celebration. Did he back it into the wall? Do you think there was intent? Should NASCAR be concerned with Keselowski’s comments? Be sure to comment below and let us know what you think.

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